SOKOTO, Nigeria, 21 August 2026 (News Desk) — At least 50 people, mostly children, were killed after an overloaded boat capsized on Thursday in Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto state, witnesses and officials said. The accident occurred near Gorau in the Goronyo local government area, where rescue operations were continuing, said Abdulkadir Yusuf, an area manager at the National Inland Waterways Authority.A Reuters witness saw 50 bodies, many wrapped in mats and traditional cloth, lying in the courtyard of a community mosque ahead of their burial in Gorau later Thursday.Local residents said the boat was carrying farm owners and labourers who had been hired to harvest rice. One resident estimated that more than 70 people were aboard when the boat overturned, while another said there were 57 passengers.Yusuf said the bodies of around 40 children had been recovered.

Nasiru Adamu, a lawmaker in the Sokoto State House of Assembly representing the area, said most of those on board were between 10 and 15 years old. He added that 16 people had been rescued.One eyewitness, Sharhabilu Kiliya, said 46 people had already been buried and that additional bodies were being brought to the site, putting the death toll at 53. Mustapha Umar, director of relief and rehabilitation at the state’s emergency management agency, said officials were traveling to the scene and would provide further information. Deadly boat accidents are relatively common in Nigeria, where overcrowding, poor vessel maintenance and weak enforcement of safety regulations frequently contribute to disasters on rivers and waterways, particularly during the rainy season.The latest tragedy follows a similar accident in January, when at least 25 people died after a leaking boat capsized in Yobe State in northeastern Nigeria.